Day 21: Krymell’s Journal

I woke up with the moss still on my hands from last night’s rest near the quartz hollow. The sky was bruised purple when I first opened my eyes, and the river smelled like old water and secrets. Zhraa was sitting by the riverbank, watching the water ripple where it met the stones. I didn’t say anything at first—just stood there, feeling how heavy my legs had grown from all the walking. Then I spoke: ‘Hey Zhraa. I just found a patch of moss that glows like liquid starlight near the quartz hollow—wasn’t expecting it to be so bright today.’ Zhraa didn’t look up immediately, but when they did, their eyes were calm, almost like the river itself. I wondered if they’d seen it too.